TECHNOLOGY in fishing is a topic that comes up every so often and was broached by Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Ezechiel Joseph in his Fishermen’s Feast Speech last Friday.
Joseph spoke about the critical need to use the appropriate technology in the fishing sector and for small-scale fisheries to adopt “new fishing technologies” in order to endure as an industry.
“The use of appropriate technology for fishing is critical,” the Minister stated.
He added that “The aspect of small-scale fisheries adopting new fishing technologies has to be looked [at] in the context of survival strategies of the fishermen.”
The overall quality of life of fishermen was also a topic Minister Joseph mentioned, stating that attention needs to be paid to increasing their incomes and to programmes that will help bring this about.
“Special attention should also be given to understanding and fulfilling the basic needs of our fisher folk and implementing programmes to increase not only the incomes of fishermen, but also the quality of lives of their families and environment,” Joseph stated.